Sibling Bonding
by CCBear
Summary: Set after New Moon. Bella stays at the Cullen house the first night Edward goes hunting.


Set at the end of New Moon, pre-Eclipse

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**Sibling ****Bonding**

Jasper's POV

We had been back in Forks for just a few weeks and I had hunted almost every day. Bella had been grounded by her father but I wasn't taking any chances. If she came to our home unexpectedly I didn't want to run the risk of hurting her. Even without my gift I would have been able to sense just how difficult my family were finding adjusting to our return. Everything was different now. Bella was different.

Esme and Carlisle were both ecstatic that Bella and Edward were back where they belonged, together, and that the family was once more complete. But their happiness was tinged with regret whenever they saw Bella's face at the thought of Edward leaving her, even for just a moment. They both blamed themselves for not convincing Edward to stay in Forks. Alice also suffered the same regret, though she tried to hide it from me. It made no difference though: I knew that all the pain that everyone in my family had gone through was due to me. Me and my lack of self-control.

These days I could barely stand to be around Edward. Whenever he was apart from Bella his remorse over her broken state was overpowering. Of course he would never show it around Bella. Emmett was, surprisingly, the most worried about Bella. Edward's worry was tinged with regret but Emmett had argued to stay in Forks and been outvoted. He loved Bella as a sister, more so than Alice, and I knew that he watched over her whenever Edward was away. He was there every night when Edward left to drop his car off at home and wait for Charlie to go to sleep. Rosalie, though, had no idea. Surprisingly she still resented Bella's presence in our lives, though I think I was the only one to pick up on this. Her resentment was mostly overpowered by her gratitude to Bella for saving Edward and her happiness that the family was no longer apart. Those months away from Bella had been hard on all of this, with all of us struggling to cope with our guilt and our worry for Edward.

Tonight was the first night Edward had been apart from Bella. He had refused to hunt properly since our return, instead quickly snagging a deer occasionally on his way back from visiting Bella before returning to spend the night with her. This weekend, though, Bella had insisted he accompany the family on a two-day long hunting trip to an area overpopulated with mountain lions. Charlie had made plans for a fishing trip and was only too happy, when Esme phoned, to agree to let Bella have a sleepover with Alice. As Bella had told Edward, being able to sleep in his room would be the next best thing to having him spend the night with her. With much persuasion from the whole family, Edward had finally relented and agreed to go hunting. That was when Bella's plan hit a snag. Who was going to stay and watch over her? Edward would never leave her unprotected.

Emmett and I had hunted most recently, but Emmett was keen to go hunt grizzlies. Bella's unease and Edward's fear at the thought of me alone with Bella was perfectly understandable, though I couldn't stop the stab of hurt which I firmly pushed aside before I projected it onto others. Alice point-blank refused to stay with us and I was sure that this was part of her effort to stop babying me about my thirst issues. Rosalie, of course, didn't want to spend extra time with Bella and though Carlisle and Esme both offered it was clearly a big sacrifice on their parts – they hadn't had any time together lately with Carlisle working double shifts.

Finally, Emmett's brotherly concern had overweighed his desire for grizzlies and he had announced he would stay at the house with us. So here we were. It was just after two in the morning and Emmett and I were playing chess downstairs in the lounge, Emmett listening intently to Bella tossing and turning upstairs on Edward's couch while I tried to ignore the sound of her heartbeat and hold my breath to avoid her mouth-watering scent.

As I moved to take Emmett's queen, Bella's heart started racing and she started whimpering. Seconds later she screamed and I raced for the staircase barely aware of Emmett following behind. I reached Edward's room first and shoved the door open, quickly reaching the couch and kneeling beside Bella.

"It's OK, Bella, you're OK," I whispered, stroking her hair back from her face. She stopped screaming but continued mumbling frantically. "Wake up Bella" I said, tapping her arm gently.

Her eyes opened and she took a second to recognise me in the dark. Then she started crying. At this point Emmett nudged me aside and pulled Bella up to sit in his arms. I watched helplessly as she cried, clinging to him, "He-he-left," she sobbed as Emmett hugged her tightly.

"Shh Bella, it's alright," Emmett whispered, "Edward will be back on Sunday. He'll be back" he repeated as she continued to cry. After a little while her sobs subsided and Bella whispered, "Don't tell him, please Em. I had a nightmare."

"I know, Bells, I know," Emmett answered. "But he's not gonna leave you again. **We're **not gonna leave you again. I promise."

Bella pulled away a little and looked up at Emmett, I could feel her grief and fear subsiding. "I won't be able to sleep. Can we watch a movie?" she asked.

"Sure," Emmett replied, continuing to rub soothing circles on Bella's back. "What do you want to see? Something soppy and girly like Romeo and Juliet?" he teased.

"Maybe," Bella answered sounding a little unsure. There was no way Emmett wouldn't agree to her film choice when she looked so broken, I thought, and I certainly would. I had caused this after all.

"Whatever you want to watch is fine Bells," Emmett told her, looking at me for confirmation. I nodded, then turned to head back downstairs. As I entered the kitchen to get Bella a glass of juice and make her some toast, I heard her tell Emmett she needed a human moment first. By the time I entered the living room Emmett had brought her blanket and pillows down and was just finishing making her a bed on the couch.

"What are you guys watching?" I asked, setting the plate and glass down on the coffee table.

"I don't know," Emmett answered, "Hopefully not some romance. I see enough of them with Rosie."

Bella started coming down the stairs then, stepping carefully to ensure she didn't trip. There were no lights on but with my vampire vision I could see the tear-tracks on her face and a huge wave of guilt washed over me. Without meaning to, I projected it around the room. Emmett just shrugged it off, he was used to this, but Bella paused and looked at me curiously as I focused on sending out calming waves instead.

"DVDs are in that cupboard Bells," Emmett said, turning on a desk lamp so Bella could see.

She didn't answer, walking over to the cupboard and running her fingers along the titles. "Um, can we watch this?" she asked, picking out a teen drama.

"Yeah that's a good one" Emmett answered. He really did care about Bella, I mused, recalling how he'd refused to watch the same film with Rose. I just hoped she never found out he'd watched it with Bella - it really wouldn't help Rose's insecurities.

"Jasper?" Bella asked, turning to me.

"Hmm?" I asked, confused.

"Is this movie OK with you?" she asked, looking down at her feet now. I was surprised by the anxiety I could feel coming off her.

"Um, you want me to stay?" I said. Surely that wasn't what she meant. I knew I scared her.

"If you don't want to, it's OK," she whispered, moving closer to the couch.

"Come on man, stop being a dweeb," Emmett said. "Bells, give me the DVD. Jasper made you toast and I bet its getting cold. Don't know how humans can eat that stuff," he shuddered, taking the DVD from Bella and turning on the home movie system.

Bella moved slowly to the couch, pausing before she sat down. "Thanks Jasper" she whispered, sounding embarrassed. I could feel her emotions though and whilst she was slightly embarrassed, fear of me and nervousness were much more dominant.

Emmett finished setting up the movie and ambled over to the couch, lifting up the cover for Bella to slide under. He tucked the cover round her then sat down beside, the blanket sheltering her from his cold body, and handed her the plate of toast.

Bella's emotions relaxed as the movie played, she munched happily on the toast and reached for her juice glancing suddenly at me. "Why are you sitting over there, Jasper?" she asked, her nervousness barely evident. Obviously having Emmett nearby helped.

I didn't know how to answer that one. What should I say? I'm sitting way over by the staircase because I want Emmett to have time to react if I try to kill you? I didn't think that would go over very well.

Bella seemed to sense my uncertainty, she really was perceptive just like Carlisle said. "I know you won't hurt me Jasper. I trust you. Come sit over here."

Emmett grinned as I stared at her in shock. This girl really didn't care about her own safety. At all. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Bella. I'm fine over here," I told her. This brought a wave of sadness crashing down on her, and guilt. Guilt? "What's wrong Bella?" I asked, curious as to the guilt. What on earth did Bella have to feel guilty for?

"Nothing," she muttered pulling her blanket tighter around and staring intently at the screen.

Emmett looked sideways at her, and then stood up. "Back in a mo, guys," he said, then spoke so quietly only I could hear, "Talk to her, Jazz."

As he sped upstairs, I edged slightly closer to Bella. "Bella?" I tried, but she continued staring at the movie, though I could sense from her emotions that she wasn't really watching it. "Bella?" I asked again, dropping onto the space beside her Emmett had just vacated.

Her eyes flicked briefly to me, and then she let out a soft sigh, "I-I guess I just…IhatethatIwreckedyourlife" she mumbled, saying the last part so quick any human would have missed it.

I froze, staring at her. What on earth did she mean? _I _was the one who had wrecked _her _life.

"I know you find it hard being around anyone. Even Alice," she said, blushing, "And I know it's 'cos of what happened on my birthday. I'm really sorry Jasper," she finished.

"Bella," I gasped, "That wasn't your fault. It was _mine_. It's my fault you're so worried whenever Edward's gone. It's my fault Edward hates himself for hurting you. It's my fault that Rose walks around feeling guilty all the time. It's my fault _Emmett's _mad at Edward. Emmett _never _stays angry. It's my fault that Alice realized that I'm not good enough for her," I finished in a whisper, pain making my throat feel blocked.

At that point I registered Bella's emotions: shock, total shock. I looked up at her and she gave me a sympathetic smile. "Jasper," she began, shaking her head, "I can't believe you think any of that is your fault. And you _are _good enough for Alice. You two are soul mates. Just like me and Edward."

"Bella-"

"No, Jasper. What happened wasn't your fault. It was going to happen eventually, Edward was already starting to plan it in Phoenix. What happened on my birthday just sped it up. If it hadn't, if Edward left later… then-then maybe he wouldn't have come back," Bella argued, her voicing breaking a little at the thought of Edward never returning. "I never blamed you."

"Bella, you must do. It's my faul-"

"No it's not!" she cut me off. "It's not." She glared at me. Grudgingly I nodded. She grinned, "Now, will you make me some more toast? It was _really _good."

I smiled at her attempt to lighten my mood. "Sure," I drawled, picking up her empty plate and glass. Emmett suddenly appeared in front of us, startling Bella.

"Huh" he huffed, "Whenever I make you food you never ask for seconds."

Bella grinned, "Vampires aren't good cooks," she stated. "Except Esme, and Jasper's toast."

Emmett narrowed his eyes, concentrating, then grinned, "So what you're saying is you prefer Jazz's toast to Edward's? He is gonna be so hurt."

"Edward can't make toast. He burns it. You'd think vampire smell would be useful in the kitchen but nooooo," Bella replied.

"Come on Jazz, I'm gonna learn how to make better toast than Eddie," Emmett grinned, pulling on my arm.

Bella turned back to the movie, emanating contentment, as we sped towards the kitchen. As I popped the bread into the toaster, Emmett closed the fridge door and smiled at me.

"You want to know why she's always so anxious around you," he said, pouring juice into the glass.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"It's not that she's scared, Jazz. She knows that her scent makes your throat burn. She feels bad for hurting you."

"That's why?" I asked, shocked that I could have missed that when reading her emotions.

"Yup," he answered, popping the 'p'.

I shook my head at that. Sure, having Bella around made my throat burn but it also made everyone (except Rose) happy. The good emotional climate more than made up for the physical pain. I would have to tell Bella that sometime.

*

It was mid-morning when I caught Edward's scent, he was crossing the river at the back of the house. Bella was still sound asleep on the couch. She'd drifted asleep leaning against me before the movie ended and I hadn't wanted to disturb her, instead placing a pillow on my lap and letting her rest there. Emmett had gotten bored once she stopped talking in her sleep – I was sure he would bring up again the purple kittens she'd mentioned – and had left a few minutes ago to get her "the best meal she's ever had from a vampire" which meant going to the bakery in town for takeout.

Edward burst through the kitchen door into the living room, pausing as he saw how close I was to Bella. "Where's Emmett?" he asked.

"In Forks," I answered, "Getting Bella breakfast."

"OK," Edward said warily, moving to sit on the arm of the couch at Bella's feet. "She's been out a long time. She fell asleep when I was on the phone to her last night."

"Not really, Edward. She, uh, she woke up around two." I didn't want to tell him about her nightmare after she begged Emmett not to tell. It made no difference though, a crashing wave of guilt hit Edward and he hung his head.

"She had a nightmare?" he asked. "When did she get back to sleep?"

"I don't know, we watched a movie. She was asleep before the end. About four maybe? What are you doing back so soon anyway?" I asked him.

"I wasn't very good company," he admitted. "I was worried about Bella. The others are on their way back too, I ran ahead. I hunted properly though, I won't have to leave Bella for a while."

I noted his golden eyes and nodded, glad Alice would be home soon. I'd missed her.

"Oh, Belly-Welly! I've got breakfast!" Emmett called in a sing-song voice, bursting in through the front door and waving a white paper bag.

"Shh!" Edward and I both hissed, but it was too late. Bella's eyes were already drifting open. She blinked a couple of times, blushed as she realized where she was lying and then spotted Edward.

"Edward! You're home!" she couldn't keep the happiness out of her voice or the relief. I knew it was painful for her to be apart from him now. She tried to leap up to embrace him but her legs were tangled in her blanket and she fell to the floor instead, cracking her head on the coffee table.

"Bella!" Edward picked her up and began anxiously examining her head as Emmett roared with laughter, smacking his thighs with his bear-paw hands. With both Edward's and Emmett's emotions hitting me at once I was unsure how to react. Concern won, especially when the rest of the family came filtering in, Carlisle and Esme rushing to check Bella over.

"I'm fine," Bella blushed, swatting away Edward's and Carlisle's hands.

Alice glided over and kissed my cheek, "I knew you and Bella would sort it out." She turned to Carlisle and Edward, "She's fine, she'll have a bump on her head for four days then it'll fade," she told them, "Hey Bella!"

"Great," said Bella, "I'm gonna get some breakfast," she said standing up before Edward could persuade Carlisle to take her to Forks hospital for an X-ray.

"But Belly-Welly I got you breakfast!" Emmett pouted, holding out the bakery bag.

"Wow, thanks," Bella said, sitting back down on the couch and pulling Edward down beside. Alice perched herself on my lap and Esme went to fetch Bella some juice from the kitchen.

I grinned, looking around at my family. Yeah, Bella being here really improved the mood around this place. I turned and winked at her as she grabbed the bag off Emmett and growled, "DON'T call me Belly-Welly!"

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End file.
